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Gretchen Kramer's avatar

Gretchen Kramer

National Aquarium

"I want to use this month to explore different ways of reducing my impact on the planet and adopting at least two permanent changes to my lifestyle!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,354 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    19
    advocacy actions
    completed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    22
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    270
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    201
    pieces of litter
    picked up
  • UP TO
    18
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    4.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted

Gretchen's actions

Family

Thoughtful Toys

I will only buy cloth, wooden or plant-based natural rubber toys. Or make our own toys from recycled items found in our home!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Pets

DIY Cat Litter

I will swap out my cat's litter for sawdust, mulch, or dirt with baking soda.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Give Some Green Gratitude

I will give a shout-out on social media to a local company, coworker, friend or family member for their plastic free or green efforts.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Dig into Bioplastics

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impacts of bioplastics and how to properly dispose of them in my city, and I will share this information with 2 friends, family, and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Write Letters, Emails or Sign Petitions

I will write or sign 2 letters, emails or petitions per day to advocate for plastic-free or planet-friendly policies.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Family

Learn about Environmental Justice

Using the action resource links below, my family will spend 30 minutes learning about environmental justice, causes of environmental injustice, and how plastic waste disproportionately impacts already vulnerable communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Learn about Plastic Production

Plastic production, not just disposal, pollutes communities and harms people. I will learn about the impacts of plastic production on humans, animals, communities, and the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Family

Discover Together

I will spend 60 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Research Local Waste Sites

I will spend 20 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the costs of fast fashion and begin trying to practice sustainable fashion in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Lifestyle

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community that follows the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Say No to Styrofoam

Throughout its life cycle, polystyrene (styrofoam) can harm people, communities, and the planet. I will refuse styrofoam whenever I can, making sure to kindly let people know why I'm asking for alternative packaging.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Estimate My Plastic Consumption

I will visit the rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Personal Care

See the Green

I will recycle used contact lenses and packaging.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal Care

Pearly Whites

I will switch to a plastic-free toothpaste — whether purchased or DIY'd.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate for Plastic-Free Dining

I will talk to the owner or manager of a restaurant I frequent to request that they reduce their use of single-use and disposable plastics.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Cook a Plastic Free Meal

I will prepare meals at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/31/2022 12:36 PM
    I just used bar dishwashing soap for the first time and I love it! Also my family has started to realize that I am serious about saving the planet and all of my birthday presents this year were eco friendly! I hope that they start adopting some of these practices!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family Thoughtful Toys
    Does your child play differently with natural or repurposed toys than with other toys? If so, how?

    Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/30/2022 2:00 PM
    My younger sister has a 2 year old child. She is the first baby in our family and all of my siblings and my parents keep wanting to buy excessive amounts of gifts for the kiddo without thinking about how they will be used and how we can purchase durable (wooden) toys that will last longer and can be used in different ways as my niece grows up. I have made it my mission to educate my family about natural and repurposed toys and I think (based on her second birthday) that it is finally sinking in! We don't need lots of plastic and plastic wrapped gifts. A box of wooden blocks will last for years!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Family Thoughtful Toys
    Does your child play differently with natural or repurposed toys than with other toys? If so, how?

    Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/30/2022 2:00 PM
    My younger sister has a 2 year old child. She is the first baby in our family and all of my siblings and my parents keep wanting to buy excessive amounts of gifts for the kiddo without thinking about how they will be used and how we can purchase durable (wooden) toys that will last longer and can be used in different ways as my niece grows up. I have made it my mission to educate my family about natural and repurposed toys and I think (based on her second birthday) that it is finally sinking in! We don't need lots of plastic and plastic wrapped gifts. A box of wooden blocks will last for years!

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/30/2022 1:51 PM
    I participated in a cleanup today that was not directly in my community, but was in the state park where I like to hike an kayak. I found that this cleanup effort made me feel more connected to the community and I think it is because it is a location that I really love and genuinely feel connected to, but also the other people there had the same approach, which gave us a pretty strong bond from the beginning. This one was honestly much more fun than the regular community cleanup that I did a couple of weeks ago!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Pets DIY Cat Litter
    Other species can teach us important lessons about ourselves and life in general. What has your cat taught you?

    Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/30/2022 1:48 PM
    I swapped out my cat's clay litter for a corn product. I thought it would be a big deal and I was watching him to make sure that he was comfortable in the litter box and wasn't going to go outside of the box, etc. And...he was fine. He use the litter just like his old stuff except for this is way less processed and is environmentally friendly. I think that seeing his adaptability has made me realize that I can and should be more adaptable.  

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/30/2022 1:43 PM
    I went kayaking today for the first time this summer and I was really encouraged to see that my local pond/lake was relatively litter-free!

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/29/2022 1:31 PM
    I convinced my boss to start buying paper cups to put next to the water cooler! Small gains.

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/28/2022 10:33 AM
    I went to the Dr this week and I realized how much medical waste is contributing to our landfills. This seems like a huge problem.

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/27/2022 10:38 AM
    After cleaning up the garbage that has blown into my front and backyards every day for the past 3 weeks I am feeling like I finally am getting it under control! And the bunnies and birds are visiting my backyard water baths and water sources so it feels like a mini Garden of Eden in my litter free backyard!!

  • Gretchen Kramer's avatar
    Gretchen Kramer 7/24/2022 2:03 PM
    How do people feel about garbage/city cleanups in areas where the waste is dangerous? I would like to find a way to organize a community cleanup, but my community is filled with broken glass and probably syringes and other things that could be dangerous for community members. I can be really careful when I am picking up litter on my own, but I am not sure how to go about doing a community cleanup when other people might be at risk. Any ideas?